Signal apparatus for railways



(Rommel) I M.O .BRAGDON.

SIGNAL APPARATUS FOR RAILWAYS.

Patented July 19,1881.

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N. PETERS Phm-Lima mr. wmin wn. n. C

I 7 turns on the driving-arbor c of a train, D, of I -UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

' MELVILLE O. BRAGDON, OF NEWTON HIGHLANDS, MASSAOHUSETTSL SIGNAL-APPARATUS Foa RAILWAYSJ SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 244,430, dated July 19, 1881,

Application filed May 14, 1881.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 'I, MELVILLE C. BRAG- DON, of Newton Highlands, of the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement'in Signal Apparatus for Railways and I do hereby declare the same to be described in the following specification and represented in the accompanyin g drawings, of Which Figure 1 is a rear elevation, Fig. 2 a top view, Fig. 3 a side elevation, Fig. 4 a longitudinal section, and Fig. 5 a transverse section, of an apparatus embodying my invention, the nature of which is set forth in the claims hereinafter presented. Fig. 6 is a front view of the plate N, to be described.

This apparatus relates to what is known as the block signaling system, and is to give notice to a car or train approaching a station whether the section of track between it and the next succeeding station is clear of any train or car. The stations are generally to be a mile apart. On the car passing a station the danger-signal will be made by the red target of the apparatus being thrown down to cover vthe opening of I its standard. At the same timethe danger-signal of the station next in rear will be thrown up or off its standard-opening, so asto uncover the latter and indicate that the traclr between the two stations is clear.

In the drawin gs, A denotes a lever, fulcrumed to a short post, B, and having a helical spring, 0, arranged under its shorter arm and to bear such upward. The said shorter arm is supposed to be so arranged relatively to the railway-track as to be passed over by the wheels of one side of a car or train while such car or train may be passing the station at which such lever may be situated. At the end of its longer arm the lever has a toothed sector, a, to engage with a gear, I), fixed on a tubular shaft, f, that gears, the last one of which has to its arbor d one ormore fans or vanes, e, to so act against .the atmosphere while the arbor may be in revolution as to retardthe running down of the trainof gearing. Aratchet-wheel, g, fixed on the shaft f alongside of the first gear, h, of

the train, connects with the latter gear by one or more pawls, t, such being so that on the (No model.)

longer arm of the lever A rising upward the tubular shaft will be revolved backward so as to' disconnect the ratchet and first gear of the train, the force of the operative spring of the lever causing the train D to be set in motion. Thus when a car may pass across the lever the gear I) and the ratchet will be turned. backward in consequence of the movement which will be given to the lever, the spring being free to move the lever and train D on the-car leaving the lever.

Alongside or near the retarding-train D is a standard, F, having a round hole, I, made through it at its upper part. A target, G, is to so operate with this hole as either to cover or uncover it, such target being supported by an arm, m, extending from a tubular shaft, a, arranged to turn on a stud or journal, 0, projecting from the standard. A weighted or heavy arm, q, is extended down from the shaft n, and serves to revolve the shaft so as to throw the target toward and over the openin of the standard.

, From a stud, r, projecting from the shaft n, a rod, s, extends to and is fixed to the center of the flexile head t of a drum, H. From the said drum a conduit or pipe, u, is led to the station next in advance of that at which the apparatus may be placed, and is to open into or communicate with the suction-drum of the signaling apparatus at such advance station, each station having a like signal apparatus, the suction-drum of that shown in the drawings being represented at I. This drum I consists of an inverted hollow cylinder, '0, having a flexile head or diaphragm, w, from the center of which a rod, 00, extends downward through a helical spring, 10, and a shelf, w, to which the spring is fastened at its lower end. 'Atits upper end the spring is secured to the diaphragm w, and by its contractile power operates to draw the diaphragm downward. The drum I is supported by a frame, K, across which the shelf :20 extends. At its foot the rod to is stepped upon the longer arm of a lever, L, whose shorter arm projects unlever A, or is so connected with the said arm of the said lever A as to be movable therewith and by it. The upper arm of the lever M carries a spring-hook, y, to engage with a stud, z, projecting from the tubular shaft 71-. Furthermore, there may be extended from the standard a plate, N, having a hole, a, in it. (See Fig. 6.)

A curved target, 0, carried by an arm, I), projecting from the main target, is arranged back of the plate N, as shown. That face of the target 0 which is next the plate N is to be painted red. The auxiliarytarget 0 moves with and is moved by the main target, so as to cover and uncover the hole a. The perfo rated plate N and the extra target'O are to serve as additional means of notifying the conductor of a car or train, should he have not properly noticed the main target before passing the station, as the auxiliary target may be seen by him while at and passing the station.

The operation of the signal apparatus may be thus described A car, on crossing the shorter arm of the lever A, will depress it so as to cause the longer arm of such lever to move upward. At the same time the actuating-spring U will be contracted. While the longer arm of the leverAis rising upward the toothed sectora will turn the gear b backward, whereby the ratchet-wheel 9 will be similarly revolved backward. The knee-lever M will in the meantime be moved toward the standard F, so as to carry its spring-hook yoff' the stud z. The targets, by the gravitatin g power of the weighted or heavy arm q, will then be moved so as to cover their respective holes in the standard F and plate N, thus showing danger to an approaching train, the arm qbrin gin g up against the bracket (1, through which the upper arm of the lever M extends. The spring 0, being free to act against the lever A, will next cause the longer arm of the said lever to move downward, its descent being retarded by the gear-train and its fans. As the targets fall forward their tubular shaft n will turn on its journal, and by means of the rods will lift at its middle part the diaphragm or flexile head it of the drum H. I11 descending the longer arm of the lever A will depress the shorter arm of the levers L and M, and thereby move the said levers. The longer arm of the lever M will move in a direction away from the standard, so as to carry the spring-hook 3 to a position to catch upon the stud 2, when the targets are next thrown back, such hook, by catching upon the stud, serving with the stud to hold the targets back or off their holes until the time may come for such target to fall forward and cover the holes of the standard F and the plate N. While the lever L is being moved by the downward movement of the long arm of lever A the diaphragm w of the drum 1 will be forced upward; but while the lever A may be moved by a car in passingover it the said diaphragm will be drawn downward by the contractile force of the spring,

such spring having been expanded byt'he forc- 4 in g of the diaphragm upward by the lever L acting against the rod encompassed by the 7 0 spring. On the diaphragm being thus pulled downward, air in the drum I will be rarefied, and as a consequence the air in the drum H at the station next in rear will be correspondin gly rarefied, whereby the pressure of the at- 7 5 mosphere upon the flexile head of such drum will depress the said head, and thereby,through the rod connecting it with the tubular shaft of the targets, turn said shaft so as to throw the targets back off their openings of the standard F and plate N. 0n the lever M bein g moved so as to carry its longer arm toward the standard F, the spring-hookywill be moved off the stud 2, so as to enable the weighted arm 1 to act and move its target or targets to dan- 8 5 ger. While the targets. are being drawn back to safety, the stud 2 will be carried against the spring-hook, which, under the pressure, will give way and slip over and catch on the stud, so as to hold the target from moving to go danger until the proper time for it to do so.

The retarding train of gears and its fans as applied to the lever A are to cause the longer arm of the said lever to fall gradually and not too suddenly, in order for the drum 1 to effect 5 the proper rarefaction of the air in the conduit to the drum H of the back station.

From the above it will be seen that ona car or train of cars passing one station having the signal apparatus the target or targets thereof will be thrown down to danger, to indicate that the car or train has left the station, and on reaching or passing the next station with its signal apparatus the target or targets of the latter apparatus will be thrown down to danr05 ger and those of the station in rear will be thrown to safety, so as to indicate that the track between the two stations is clear.

By having to the target G the supporting tubular shaft n and the stud z, and by having the knee-lever M and its spring-hook 3 combined therewith and with the lever A and its spring (3, should either of these latter parts become damaged or broken, the knee-lever would generally, if not always, move so as to carry its spring-hook ofi the stud z, in which case the target would move to indicate, danger. The knee-lever, if desired, may be provided with an overbalance-weight, W, arranged on an arm, f, projectingfrom such lever, as shown. r 20 0, lever A, toothed sector a, gear b, shaft f,

ratchet-wheel g, pawl i, retarding-train D,levers L M, air-rarefying drum I, spring '10, rod or, conduit 2!, auxiliary drum H, rod .9, shaft a, stud z, spring-hook 3 and weighted arm q,

all adapted and arranged substantially as set 1 0 forth.

2. The combination of the auxiliary target O and its perforated plate N, applied to the supporting-shaft n, provided with the stud 2, standard F and main targetG, as described, with the knee-lever M and its spring-hook 3 with such main target G and its operative and the leverA and its spring 0, all being ap- 15 mechanism, substantially as set forth, consistplied and for use substantially as set forth.

5 ing of the spring G, lever A, toothed sector a, 4. The combination of the spring 0, lever A, gear I), shaft f, ratchet-wheel g, pawl t, retardtoothed sector a, gear b, shaft f, notched wheel iIng-train D, levers L M, air-rarefyin g drum g, pawl t', and the retarding-train D, as set forth.

spring 20, rod or conduit u, auxiliary drum H, rod 8, shaft n, stud z, spring-hook y, and MELVILLE BRAGDON' :0 weighted arm q, combined, arranged, and Witnesses:

adapted to operate essentially as set forth. It. H. EDDY,

3. The oombinationof the target G and its E. B. PRATT. 

